


Goodbye and Hello

by MereMere22193



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 03:45:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1536362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MereMere22193/pseuds/MereMere22193
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if Emma and Jefferson were engaged when Pan's curse hit Storybrooke. How would it change what happens in New York City Serenade?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodbye and Hello

 

            Standing at the town line with all their friends and family, Emma begins to cry. Strong arms wrap around her, and a pair of slim, small hands, grasp hers.

            "We can't leave you, we just can't," Emma says wetly.

            "You have to," Her mother says with a sob.

            The ring on Emma's finger is a heavy weight. She looks up at the man who had put it there.

            "Jefferson..." she says weakly. The Mad Hatter tightens his grip on her.

            "Sweetheart, you have to go," He says with a shaky voice. "You and Henry will be just fine."

            "But what about you and Grace?" She asks with a hitch of breath. "Grace will be all alone in the forest. And you! You'll be back in Wonderland!"

            Jefferson closes his eyes and holds his fiancée close. Their wedding was supposed to be today. The entire town had been gearing up for the day. Emma had picked out her dress only a few days ago, right after they'd returned from Neverland. He hadn't seen it, and now he never would. He felt his heart breaking.

            "I'll be okay, darling. I'll find Rabbit and get him to take me to the Enchanted Forest," Jefferson assured her.

            "And we'll find Grace," Regina spoke up from where she was holding Henry tightly. Jefferson and Emma looked at her in surprise.

            "You will?" Jefferson asked incredulously.

            "Yes," she promised. "I caused the two of you enough grief, if I can help keep your daughter safe until you make it back, I'll do it."

            "Thank you Regina," Jefferson replied gratefully.

            Emma looked down when the small hands, holding hers squeezed gently.

            "What is it Grace?" She asked the little girl that had become her daughter in all but name.

            "I'll be okay Emma, I lived there by myself for two years, I'll be perfectly fine. I'll stay put after we go back so they can find me," the little girl said sadly.

            "Good idea, honey," Emma said proudly. "Someone will definitely find you."

            The little girl beamed up at her.

            "Emma," Regina called sadly. Emma looked up at the woman she now called her friend. "It's time."

            Emma took a shuddering breath, and turned to look at Jefferson.

            "I love you," Jefferson said quickly. Emma smiled.

            "I love you too," she replied, and kissed him. It was quick, but still filled with emotions. "What about the ring?" she asked pulling away.

            "You'll still have it, but you won't remember the significance," Regina piped up. "You'll probably end up taking it off. Seeing as how you won't know why you're wearing an engagement ring."

            "I'll hold onto it," Emma said with conviction. Jefferson smiled. He let her go so she could say goodbye to her parents. Grace attached her self to his leg.

            The goodbyes were short but tearful. Jefferson watched with everyone else as the pair walked to the little yellow bug. Emma turned back to look at him one more time before she got into the little yellow bug. They all watched as the purple smoke began to swirl around them, and they cheered as the yellow bug crossed the town line. Then everything went dark.

            As Emma drove through Maine, her son Henry beside her, she couldn't help but smile at the memory of the first time she held him. She was so happy that she had decided to keep him; her life would've been so empty without him. As she adjusted her grip on the steering wheel, she felt a strange weight on her left ring finger. She glanced down and saw what could only be an engagement ring. It was beautiful. It was a large diamond in a gold band, with amethysts fanning out from it. Emma picked up her hand to look at it more closely. Henry noticed her movement and looked over. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

            "Where'd you get that mom?" He asked surprised. Emma was going to say she didn't know, but suddenly she did.

            "It was from Jefferson, remember?" she told her son, eyes misting as she remembered the man she'd met at a bar two years ago. He and his daughter Grace had been a big part of their lives for a while. "He gave it to me right before he and Grace went missing."

            "Oh yeah," Henry said suddenly sad. "I liked them. I wish they'd survived that plane crash."

            "Me too, kid. Me too," Emma said wistfully, and they continued to drive home.

**One Year Later: Storybrooke**

            Jefferson woke up to sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. That's strange, he was sure he'd wake up to the dim light of his hat cluttered cottage. Jefferson sat up suddenly, looking around. This was wrong; he was most definitely _not_ in Wonderland. He was in his house in Storybrooke, at least it looked like it. He looked around and stopped. There was a red dress hanging from the open closet door. He knew that dress, it was the one Emma wore on the date they had a few days ago. He looked at the dresser and saw some makeup sitting there. Yeah, this was definitely Storybrooke. He jumped out of the bed and hurried out the open door.

            "Grace!" He called, striding down the hall.

            "Here Papa!" She answered, racing out of her room. She ran to him and he leaned down to hug her. "Why are we back, Papa? Did we even leave?"

            "I have no clue, Grace," Jefferson replied. "Why don't we go find out?"

            Later, in town, Jefferson and Grace walked down Main Street towards David and Snow's apartment. All around them, the citizens of Storybrooke wandered around dazed, all trying to figure out what had happened. They reached the Charming family's building and quickly went up the stairs. Jefferson knocked urgently on the door.

            "David? It's me, Jefferson! Open up!" He called out. He heard the sound of rushed footsteps and then the locks being pulled back. The door opened to reveal a perplexed David. He smiled when he saw them.

            "Jefferson! Grace! I'm so glad you're safe!" He exclaimed, ushering them in.

            "What's going on David? I expected to wake up to the Cheshire Cat, not my bedroom here," Jefferson asked.

            "We don't know, none of us remember what happened between the curse falling and us waking up here. The only thing we know is that it's been a year," David replied.

            "A year?" Jefferson asked incredulously. "What makes you think it's been a year? We said goodbye to Emma yesterday if any time's passed at all."

            "We know because of this," a voice called from where Jefferson knew David and Snow's bed was. He turned and froze, the color draining from his face.

            "Mary Margaret, you're..." Jefferson trailed off, unable to stop staring.

            "Pregnant, yes," Snow replied from the bed, where she was lying. She struggled to sit up, the large bulge of her stomach making it difficult. "We think at least 8 months."

            "I think you're closer to 9," Jefferson countered, still staring. "You look like you're going to go into labor any day now."

            "Don't joke," David said, exhausted.

            "So you don't remember this happening?" Jefferson asked.

            "I wish I did," David replied, with a smirk.

            "David!" Snow exclaimed, gesturing at Grace who was staring at Snow's belly in wonder.

            "What? I do, I wish I could remember the last year of my life," he said defensively.

            "So no one knows?"

            "No," Snow replied.

            "Well shit."

            "Daddy!"

**One Year Later: New York**

            Emma reluctantly took the bottle from the sleezy man dressed in leather. Killian he called himself. She took a breath, and reached a hand to where an engagement ring rested on a chain around her neck. She had to do this. She quickly uncorked the bottle and swallowed. The memories flashed before her eyes, and then she saw Jefferson and Grace, and felt love rush through her. She breathed out slowly, and a tear slid down her cheek. She looked at the man in leather, and she knew him.

            "Hook," she said slowly.

            "Did you miss me?" he asked with a smirk. She ignored the look in favor of reaching for her neck. She fumbled with the high collar of her shirt, searching for the chain. Her fingers caught it, and she pulled it out, looking at the ring on it. Hook watched her look at it with an immense look of loss. He sighed, no matter what he did, she wasn't going to be his. "He's fine you know," he told her. She looked up quickly.

            "And Grace?" She asked.

            "Her too," he replied. "I didn't speak with them, but I saw them."

            "Alright, let's go," she said a relieved smile on her face. He raised an eyebrow when it suddenly dropped. "Great, now I have to explain to my boyfriend that I'm actually engaged and in love with someone else. That's just great."

            "I don't envy you that job," Killian said with a smirk.

            "Oh shut up," she replied.

**The Next Day: On the Road**

            "Hey Mom," Henry suddenly piped up from the back seat.

            "Yeah, Henry?" Emma asked.

            "What's this case about?"

            "Missing persons case," she replied.

            "Oh, cool," he said. She hesitated for a second and then decided to go for it.

            "And there's something else too," she said hesitantly. She ignored Hook's look.

            "What is it?" Henry asked.

            "You remember Jefferson and Grace, right?" she asked.

            "Yeah, the guy you were engaged to. He and Grace disappeared in a plane crash. It was too bad, I liked them."

            "Well, there's a possibility that they're in the town we're going to," she ventured.

            "Really!?" Henry exclaimed. "How? I thought there were no survivors."

            "There were very few survivors," she corrected. She thought carefully about how to phrase this. "The rumor says that a man and a little girl washed up on the beach not long after the crash. They were both unconscious for a long time, but recently woke up. A friend of mine called and told me about it."

            "That's great Mom, I know you miss him a lot," Henry said with a smile.

            "Thanks kid," she smiled back and went back to driving.

 

**That Night: Storybrooke**

            Emma slowly walked up the stairs to the apartment she had shared with Mary Margaret when she first arrived. What she really wanted was to go find Jefferson and Grace. But she had to see her parents first. She knocked hesitantly on the door, a little scared. She sucked in a breath when her father opened the door. She stuttered through an introduction, not sure if he remembered, but was then taken by surprise when he said her name and swept her into a hug. She hugged back fiercely.

            They started talking about what happened, and she was so confused. How was it possible that they don't remember?

            "But how do you know it's been a year?" she asked confused.

            "Emma?" she heard from behind her. She turned at her mother's voice and stopped. "Oh Emma! It's really you!" Snow White rushed down the stairs as fast as she could, wrapping her arms around her daughter. Emma was still stunned by the fact that her mother was very, very pregnant.

            "We woke up, and I was like this," Snow explained. Emma shook her head. This was definitely new.

            "But who would do this? Who would send you back? And with no memories?" Emma asked.

            "We don't know," a deep voice that was heartbreakingly familiar said from behind her. She turned and there he was, leaning in the door. He looked over at David, "sorry for barging in, but I was heading home from work when I saw the car. I had to see if she was really here," the last part was addressed to her. His blue eyes locked on hers.

            "I don't blame you one bit, Jeff," David said with a smile. But Emma didn't here him as she slowly walked forward. Jefferson moved to meet her, catching her hands in his.

            "Hello, Emma," he said with a smile. She smiled back, tears sliding down her cheeks.

            "Jefferson," she said wetly. She surged forward, hugging him desperately. He held her against him, stroking her soft blonde hair. She still felt, and smelled, the same. Not much about her had changed in a year. He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands.

            "I'm so glad to see you, again," he said sincerely. She just smiled until he leaned forward to kiss her. It felt right, and good, and beautiful. She was still smiling when he pulled back. "Do you still have it?" he asked. She nodded, knowing what he was talking about. She reached a hand to her neck, and he saw it, threaded on a gold chain. He smiled and reached for the clasp, slipping the ring off and into his palm. He looked at her again. She raised her chin.

            "Well?" she asked. "Are you going to ask me again or not?"

            "Do I have to?" he asked with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure it counted when I asked over a year ago."

            Emma coughed awkwardly. Jefferson raised an eyebrow.

            "I remembered you," she started. Jefferson's other eyebrow joined the first at this startling information. "I guess Regina wanted to help, but unfortunately...I've thought that you and Grace were dead for the past year, and I've been dating someone else. So you might want to ask again."

            Jefferson's surprise was replaced by horror, then irritation, at this news. He sighed; he wasn't going to hold the fact that she tried to find someone while she thought he was dead, against her. He wouldn't have held it her against her if she hadn't remembered him at all either. So the only thing to do was ask again. He got down on one knee and held the ring out to her.

            "Emma, I don't know what you've been through this past year, any more than I know about my own year. But I know that I still love you, no matter what, so I ask this again: Princess Emma Swan, daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, will you marry me?" he asked seriously. She smiled at him.

            "I will," she said with a laugh as he surged to his feet, kissing her as he slid the ring back on her finger. It felt right. Behind them, David and Snow clapped.

           

 


End file.
